The ideal baseball game, to me, has always been the one-run game, in which there are many baserunners, but only one scores. This game came as close to that as any one has reason to expect. Also, the run should be scored either very early in the game, or right at the end. When I watch a sporting event, I do not want to see dingers. I want to experience the tension of the tightrope.

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About fra paolo

He grew up in Detroit, going to Tiger Stadium, and cheering on the team through 1972. But the introduction of the designated hitter rule was too much for his eleven year old's traditionalism, and he began wandering in a wilderness of rooting for National League teams. For a time he was a fan of the Montréal Expos, because they were the closest team to London, England, where he lived from 1982 until 2008. With the Expos' move to Washington, he returned to his Tiger roots.

For now he lives in Florida, from where he keeps an eye on the Detroit Tigers and other baseballing matters.

(The title alludes to St Augustine of Hippo's De Civitate Dei contra Paganos, in case theology isn't on your curriculum vitae.)

Follow me on Twitter @frapaolotweets

QMAX Categories

Elite Square

Success Square

Jordan Zimmermann 1

Soldier of Fortune/Tommy John

Matthew Boyd 1

Hit Hard

Uncategorised

Data incomplete

Bullpen Awards

Hero's Palms

Goat's Heads

Bruce Rondon 1

Hero's Palms and Goat's Heads are awarded on the basis of the change in Win Probability during the pitcher's time on the mound, less any obvious fielding blunders.

LI Win Values (batters)

Data Incomplete.

(This metric, of my own invention, incorprates the Leverage Index, RE24 Base-Out values and the number of runs that are needed for a win to estimate how many wins or losses a hitter has provided to his team. One can think of it as a measure of 'clutch'.)